Your Router Is Probably in the Wrong Place. Here Are the 4 Tweaks to Fix Your Slow Internet

Nobody wants to spend their weekend acting as an amateur IT technician for their own house. But if you're currently paying for a premium high-speed plan and still seeing a never-ending circle every time you try to watch a movie, you're basically donating money to your ISP. Most Wi-Fi " dead zones " and mid-movie stutters aren't actually caused by bad service; they're caused by your router being poorly positioned or choked by outdated settings. Zooey Liao/CNET The fix usually isn't a more expensive monthly bill or a $300 new router. It's about basic physics. Wi-Fi signals hate obstacles like walls, cabinets and even your kitchen microwave. By making a few strategic, zero-cost moves -- like getting your router off the floor and away from other electronics -- you can drastically widen your coverage area and stabilize your connection instantly. Stop tolerating a signal that drops out the second you leave the living room. These quick, straightforward tweaks will optimize the gear you already own, ensuring your gaming, streaming and video calls actually run at the speeds you're paying for. Don't miss any of CNET's unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome. Read More: Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers for 2025 1. Invest in the right router for your space First things first: you can trace many connection issues back to your equipment. It all starts with choosing the right router . Not all routers are the same, and your wireless speeds depend on variables like the size and layout of your home. A single wireless access point should suffice for most apartments and smaller homes (under 1,500 square feet). If your router is several years old, consider upgrading to a newer model or Wi-Fi 6E . That's not the latest and greatest generation of Wi-Fi technology -- that would be Wi-Fi 7 -- but it's newer than what most have in their homes. It should give you faster wireless speeds and better overall coverage for a reasonable price. For bigger, multilevel homes, it's worth considering upgrading to a mesh network to offer consistent coverage throughout the house. If you install the main access point and find that a far corner of your home doesn't have solid wireless coverage, just add another node to that area. Problem solved. To learn more, check out our list of the best mesh routers . If you need some additional guidance, consult our router buying guide . It's worth noting that where you place the primary access point still matters, regardless of whether you have a single access point or a mesh network. 2. Find the best place for your router Chris Monroe/CNET When you first move into a new home or apartment , the modem is usually installed along the wall in one of the far reaches of the house. This is simply because that's where the line comes into the house and the technician's job is to set up the connection, not optimize your network....

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